Curiosity
by Jake Frost
Summary: Little one-shot about Peeta and his son Cinna. Set after the last book.


Hunger Games

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games characters, nor am I getting any profit from this story.

Peeta walked nervously back in forth on the front porch. The sun was slowly falling in the west, and still there was no sign of Cinna. How many times had they told him, they wanted him home before the sun set. But of course what would expect from the son of Katniss. The fears running through Peeta's head were endless. Yes it had been several years since the war finally ended but the horrors of their lives were lived every single day. They knew nothing would happen but the thoughts still entered their minds. Finally as there was just a sliver of sun still showing on the horizon Peeta saw a little head coming out of the woods. Then the small shoulders with bow and arrows strung across his back came into view. That's when Peeta notice the limping. A second later Peeta was taking off for his boy. When he reached him, he automatically noticed Cinna's bloody left leg, and the blood covering his face and chest.

"Cinna, what the heck happened?" The boy looked up at the sound of his father, tears were welled up in his eyes. Peeta's heart broke; the boy was so much like his mother, refusing to let go of his emotions. Peeta scanned him quickly noticing that most of the blood was coming from the leg and the rest were minor cuts.

"Dad." Was the one word he manage to get out before he fell into his dad's arms, trying to swallow his sobs. Peeta put one of his arms under Cinna's knees and the other across his back and lifted him easily off the ground. Cinna leaned in and laid his head on his dad's chest and wrapped his arms around his neck. Peeta carried him back to the house and into the living room, and laid him on the couch. He rolled up the black shorts to see exactly where the bleeding was coming. There was a huge gash just above the knee, and it was oozing blood. Peeta gabbed a cloth and started to clean it out, trying to sooth away the mumbled groans and cries of his son.

"Cinna, I need you to hold still. I know it hurts but it will hurt more if it gets infected." Peeta said trying to get the deeper mud inside the wound. Cinna nodded, not wanting to open his mouth knowing the minute he did the sobs and cries would get worse. Five execrating minutes later, the wound was clean and Peeta was wrapping the leg up. He then moved to the minor cut covering the little body of his son. "Want to tell me how all this happened?"

"I w-was hun-hunting when this *hiccup* huge c-cat jumped at me. I-It managed to *hiccup* dig it's c-claws into my knee and kno-knocked *hiccup* me down be-before I could put an arrow through it's he-head. " Cinna worked out through his trembling voice and hiccups. "It came *hiccup* u-up on me so fa-*hiccup* fast that I didn't even he time to re-react." Peeta, looking into the fear stricken eyes couldn't take it, lifted his son up into his arms, and pulled him close to his chest.

"Shhh, it's alright. It can't get you anymore. It's gone." Cinna wrapped his arms around his dad's neck and held tight. He was still shaking. Peeta, again, easily picked his son up and carried him to his room. He laid him down on the push pillows and then laid down next to him. Cinna automatically curled into his father and buried his face into his side. Peeta gently rocked back and forth, comforting his son. Oh how he wished Katniss was here to sing to him. That always seemed to calm him down faster then anything, but Katniss was out visiting Gale in district 2 and wasn't supposed to be back for another 6 days. Cinna shifted in his father's arms and looked down at his dad's leg. He slowly reached his hand toward the remaining scar on his dad's leg.

"Can you tell me what it was like? The games I mean. Were they really as horrible as the school books make them out to be?" Peeta sighed. He never wanted his children to know the full extent of the horrors he and Katniss went through but Cinna had just started his second year of school, where they cover the bases of the hunger games but don't go into much detail, thank goodness. He had been asking more questions about it lately and when he does it sends Katniss into a blank mess. It's like she gets lost in herself and can't find her way out, unless of course, Peeta pulls her out of it. Peeta took a deep breath and looked down at his son's blue eyes.

"It was a brutal battle. I was only 9 years older then you when I was chosen to be part of the Capital's games, same as your mother. They were 24 of us total, ages ranged from 12 to 18. All it was, was a show. They used us as pieces, manipulated us to do as they wished, turned the tables toward the ones they liked the best. If it hadn't been for your mom, I would have died, long before the games were over. Everyday was a struggle to survive. From physical attribute and mental attributes. The Hunger Games turns you into a monster, you lose yourself in the arena."

"What happened to your leg?"

"Well that was doing of a boy named Cato who was from district 2. When the games first started I teamed up with the careers to stay alive longer, and to make sure Katniss didn't get harmed. I knew they were trying to use me to get to her. Eventually they decided they didn't need me so Cato tried to kill me, but I was too fast, he managed to get me pretty good in the leg. If it hadn't been for your mom going out into a trap to get my medicine that the capital had so graciously given us *sarcasm* I would have died from the infection.

"But wait, all the text books said that there could only be 1 victor. How did both you and mom survive the Games?"

"Well you could thank your mom for that. When people started loving the star crossed lovers they didn't want to see us die so the Capital announced that 2 victors could win the Games only if they were from the same district. So when it came down to only 3 of us, me, your mom, and Cato. We were surrounded by these huge dogs, and Cato fell off the edge and was killed. So your mom and I waited so they would announce us the winners but they never did, instead they announced that the previous rule was evoked so only 1 person could remain standing. I told your mom to kill me so she could go home to her sister, but your mom wouldn't have it. She pulled out the nightlock berries from before and gave me half of them and we were going to eat at the same time, but before we could, they announced us both the winners. Everything after that is a blur for me because I passed out from losing too much blood. " Cinna was quiet for a minute then looked up at his dad and saw all the thoughts and emotions running through his head. Cinna curled back into his father and said,

"I see now why no body wants to talk bout it, I'm sorry you had to live through that."

"It's not your fault buddy. You had no control over it. I'm just glad you don't have to worry about ever living through it." At that thought Peeta instinctively pulled Cinna closer to him and just held on to him. Eventually his breathing evened out and Peeta knew he was sound asleep. Peeta just smiled and scooted farther down so he was laying down on his back, on his son' bed and slowly closed his eyes, content that his one and only son was safe and in his arms, where he knew he was protected and nothing would ever take him away.

Thanks for reading, and please review.


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